The Filigree Ball: Being a full and true account of the solution of the mystery concerning the Jeffrey-Moore affairGreen, Anna Katharine
General
The Filigree Ball: Being a full and true account of the solution of the mystery concerning the Jeffrey-Moore affair
Green, Anna Katharine
Detective and mystery stories
He had accounted for one candle in the house; could he account for the
one found in the tumbler or for the one lying crushed and battered on
the closet floor?
He could not.
And now we all observed a change of direction in the inquiry. Witnesses
were summoned to corroborate Mr. Jeffrey’s statements, statements which
it seemed to be the coroner’s present wish to establish. First came the
grocer who had sold Mr. Jeffrey the candles. He acknowledged, much to
Jinny’s discomfort, that an hour after Mr. Jeffrey had left the store,
he had found on the counter the package which that gentleman had
forgotten to take. Poor Jinny had not stayed long enough to hear his
story out. The grocer finished his testimony by saying that immediately
upon his discovery he had sent the candles to Mr. Jeffrey’s house.
This the coroner caused to be emphasized to such an extent that we were
all convinced of its importance. But as yet his purpose was not evident
save to those who were more in his confidence than myself.
The other witnesses were men from Rauchers, who had acted as waiters at
the time of the marriage. One of them testified that immediately on
Miss Moore’s arrival he had been sent for a candle and a box of
matches. The other, that he had carried up to her room a large
candelabrum from the drawing-room mantel. A pair of curling tongs taken
from the dressing table of this room was next produced, together with
other articles of toilet use which had been allowed to remain there
uncared for, though they were of solid silver and of beautiful design.
The next witness was a member of Mr. Jeffrey’s own household. Chloe was
her name, and her good black face worked dolefully as she admitted that
the package of candles which the grocer boy had left on the kitchen
table, with the rest of the groceries on the morning of that dreadful
day when “Missus” killed herself, was not to be found when she came to
put the things away. She had looked and looked for it, but it was not
there.
Further inquiry brought out the fact that but one other member of the
household was in the kitchen when these groceries were delivered; and
that this person gave a great start when the boy shouted out, “The
candles there were bought by Mr. Jeffrey,” and hurried over to the
table and handled the packages, although Chloe did not see her carry
any of them away.
“And who was this person?”
“Miss Tuttle.”
With the utterance of this name the veil fell from the coroner’s
intentions and the purpose of this petty but prolonged inquiry stood
revealed. It was to all a fearful and impressive moment. To me it was
as painful as it was triumphant. I had not anticipated such an outcome
when I put my wits to work to prove that murder, and not suicide, was
answerable for young Mrs. Jeffrey’s death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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